Whiffletree



(No Model.)

H. GOURTAD.

WHIFFLETREE.

No. 398,705. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

Invenlar.' Heng faurhaa'. By 7M 2f# N, PETERS. Pho muthugm UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY COURTAD, OF SANDUSKY, OHIO.

WHIFFLETREE..

SPECIFICATION vforming part of Letters Patent No. 398,705, dated 'February 26, 1889.

Application led August 2, 1888.

T0 @ZZ zeil/0m z'zi may concern.:

Be it known that l, HENRY COURTAD, a citi- Serial No, 281,802. No model.)

tween such spring and tlxercar side to allow 'g a free action of the spring.

Zen ol' the United States, residing at Sandusky, j in the county of Erie and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vl1ifflctrees, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawin gs.

This invention relates to .new and useful improvements in spring-whiffletrees; and the invention is designed to form an improve- I cured to the center of the whii'flct-rce in any ment on fl'iotters latcnt numbered MISTI), of March 22, lSST.

'llle invention consists in the peculiar conA struction ol a jointed metallic whiilietreo and in its combination with a draft-spring, all as more fully hertiina'fter described, and shown in the accompanying' drawings, in which Figure l is a plan view of a doubletree to which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof. Fig. f3 is a crosssection on line .r in Fig. Fig. l is a crosssection on line y y in Fig. l.

section on line .e 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a plan is applied, with a slight modification.

A A are two like halves of a whililetree,

Fig. 5 is a cross- The ends of the spring are secured by means of shackles E to the respective halves of the whifetree, which to this end are provided with the apertures d, formed in a hol- 1 low boss, e, of the whiltletree, and which aperturc is made sufficiently large to receive a wooden filling, j', through which the shacklebolt g passes and secures the shackle to the whifflotrec. The center of the spring is sesuitablc manner, but preferably in the mani ner shown in the drawings,wherein la is a bolt passing through the spring, and t' a nutsecuringl the lspring upon the bolt. The bolt pro jects through a suitable aperture centrally formed in the rear ot' the joint, and is secured j by its head j from being withdrawn, a suitable recess, 7s, being 'formed in the knuckle of preferably made of cast-iron, substantially of the cross-section shown in Fig. 5, wherein a l as shown in Fig. t3.

are two flanges slightly converging toward each other from one end to the other, and forming, respectively, the front and rear sides of the whiffletree, and li a central web connecting these iianges, and one or more strengthening-ribs are placed intermediate between the ends of the halves of the tree. The two larger ends of the halves are connected together by means of a rule-joint, B, having a limited play both forward an d back by means of abutments or stops formed both on the front and rear sides of the joint. The two halves of the joint are connected by means of a central bushing, C, which is secured in the eye of the hinge in any suitable manner, preferably by rivetheading or peening the bushing, and through which the hannner-bolt engages to secure the whiflletree to the vehicle.

D is a compound leaf or semi-elliptic spring centrally secured to the rear side of the jointed whiffletree, and with sufficient clearance bethe hinge to permitthe lfree movement of the hinge.

The outer ends of the whii'tietroe are pro vided with a series of adjusting-holes, l, formed in solid bosses, for adjustably securing the draft-clevis F thereto.

For singletrees l preferably cast the ends of the halves hollow to receive a wooden plug, .into which I secure a suitable drafthook, G,

In practice, the parts being arranged and constructed substantially as shown and described, it is intended to operate as follows:

i The spring is normally under sufficient ten sion to hold the rear abutments of the rulejoint in contact with each other, or nearly so, so that when the draft is applied it will have to act through the medium of the spring un til the front abutments or stops of. the joint approach each other, when further deviation of the spring will cease and the whiffletree become rigid. By suitably noportioning the strength of the spring the action of the spring may be maintained during the normal conditions of draft,while the front abutments, c, prevent the undue deflection of the spring under abnormal conditions of draft.

The device is especially adapted as av whiffletree for the heavier description of vehicles and farm implements, and its object is to make the load start easyand to take off all the IOO 2 sesgos with the component part of arule-joint conneet-ing said halves together by`means'-of'a hollow bushing, and having the front and'rear abu'tments, c, Athe spring D, centrally'-'secured to said Whi1etree,'theslrackles, connecting :the yendszof 'the `spring with the `whifletree, 'the tWood "iillingf7 secu red in apeitu'reslof :the

Whiietree, .and the shackle-bolts g, secured -in'saidwoodfilling substantially as described.

2. A new article of manufacture, a Whiffle- .tree consisting of like halves, each integrally cast in one piece with the component part of `a .rule-jointhavingront and rear abutments, rc, allolloWbuslingconnecting them together, the spring D, the shackles E, the recess 7c in fthernlejoint, and the bolt h, engaging with lits head into said recess and centrally securing the spring to the -Whflet-ree, substantially Ias described.

In testimony whereof affix my signature;n

in lpresence of `iwowvitnesses, this 28th day of Witnesses: p

.-J'ON fSGHUMAN, P. M. 

